Slapping the keyboard until something good happens

Office 365

It can be fairly annoying to have to run several different sets of commands in your PowerShell console window just to connect to the service online that you are working on.

John Weber and I were having a discussion about how annoying it was, and he and I couldn’t help but ask: “Is there an easier way?”

Utilizing Windows PowerShell, we cumulatively came up with the idea to pass a single entering of credentials, and in turn, log into each environment we manage most in their own respective PS console environment.

I use ConEmu as my PS CLI interface of choice rather than the native console and one of the best features of ConEmu in my opinion is the tabbed console windows. I like to separate my work so I can better keep track of the commands that I am running, especially when I am running a lot of them. The idea of establishing connections in separate console windows sounded like a great idea.

Therefore, using the powers of PowerShell (pun intended) I put together a script to auto-magically do this for us.

If you have been creating trial tenants over and over again like I have been with Office 365 and their E3 license, it is likely you may run into the same issue I have.

Microsoft does not really give you any hints in regards to troubleshooting your domain verifications.

I am currently going after the MCSA for O365, and the way I have been able to learn the ropes of O365 for the 70-346 and 347, has been purely from signing up for their E3 trial.

No need to spend any money at all, and you can get Sharepoint, Exchange, SfB, etc. Additionally, you get 25 user licenses to play around with.

“What if my trial ends?” you say?

The good news is that you can extend the trial an additional 30 days! (totaling 60 days.) I have a single domain name I used to work with O365 and a lab environment at home that I setup an Exchange hybrid in, manage Sharepoint Online, etc.

Worst case scenario: You use your total of 60 days, and MS asks for money. Just buy another 99 cent throw away domain from godaddy.com or 1and1.com and start another trial. Once MS trashes your original domain which expired, (30 days after your original 30 day, or extended 60 day trial ends) you can use that same domain name again as an O365 tenant and start again.

Brad Stevens

Brad Stevens is an enterprise consultant, cloud architect, and technical evangelist with over 5 years of experience providing architecture, development, consultancy and design expertise. He works at CDW, a leading re-seller of IT hardware and software and professional services solution delivery. He is based in Portland, Oregon.